INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

The government should not bow to pressure from special interest groups
who would like to weaken protections for manatees. They are still in danger
from loss of habitat and deadly red tides that strike each year. The death
toll isn't dropping and they need stronger protections.

The Florida manatee continues to face numerous severe threats, and many
recovery actions, such as setting minimum flows and levels for warm water
springs and revising manatee critical habitat, remain unfinished. These
vital recovery actions need to be completed before the Service should
consider changing the listing status of the manatee.

The manatee was not listed due to its population size but due to
human-caused threats it faced at the time, including loss of habitat and
collisions with boats, threats which remain today and are likely to worsen
in the future.

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